Le Treport – Introduction

Le Treport is a small fishing town of some 5000 inhabitants located at the Northernmost point of Upper Normandy. The town used to be a “must-be” place for the English (and rich Parisians) thanks to its proximity to Calais and Dieppe (the Dieppe ferry is only 34 kilometers away).

Le Treport has a rather large harbour, shared between its fishing fleet and pleasure boats. The harbour entrance is marked with the obligatory lighthouse.

The harbour entrance, where the lighthouse is, can be reached from both sides, one, straight from the landmass, two, by a wooden pier.

The lighthouse was originally built in 1844 but rebuilt in 1907:

As is the case in most of Upper Normandy, the beaches are made out of pebble stones on top of sand. So don’t go expecting big white sandy beaches (for that you’ll need to go to Trouville or Deauville).

Fish Market

Since Le Treport is a fishing town, needless to say that fish is sold here. In fact, there is a very nice municipal fish market at the harbour entrance. It’s worth a visit if you’re into fresh fish. It’s quite colorful.

On the main road alongside the harbour you will find many restaurants, most of them serving fish courses, very few of them serve anything but fish.

The Town Itself

The town of Le Treport itself is quite unattractive. It’s rundown and neglected. The big villas that stood there a century ago have all but disappeared and now all you see is small houses built against each other amongst narrow roads.

Could it be because the city is run by the communists since 1977? Whatever the reason, not much money is spent on decorations and upkeep.

Of course winter time doesn’t do the town any good. Lots of boarded up shops and restaurants.

But then again, many were out of business and not just closed for the winter.

The “Must Do” in Le Treport

There is one thing that you must do and visit, and that’s the really cool funicular.

It’s built onto the cliffs, allowing you to reach the top of the cliffs without losing a single calorie (traditional steps are there for those of you who want the exercise).

Bunkers

The cliffs themselves have not only caves, but also well hidden WWII German bunkers.

The bunker complex (called Kahl-Burg) can be visited, but only of very specific dates. More info will be available in our tips page.

Funicular

The funicular of Le Treport is fun! It’s more an elevator (lift), since it’s unmanned, and you call it much like an elevator. Once inside the cabin, like an elevator, you press the “up” or “down” button.

Another important part of the funiculaire is that IT IS FREE!

At the Top

Once at the top (either via the funicular or the steps), you have an impressive view of the town and the surroundings. There’s even a part of the Tourist Office there (but only open during the tourist season).

The cross you see in the first photo was erected in 1867. The last remains of the majestic hotel Trianon as seen in one of the photos above, is just the stairs to the hotel. The hotel itself was blown up by the Germans during WWII in 1942.

The hotel Trianon was the reason there is a funicular. The funicular was built in 1906 to allow the hotel’s rich guests to go to the beach and town without tiring. It was stopped during WWII and rebuilt only in 2005.

Beach side

On the beach side, there’s not much to amuse you. There is a long promenade along the cliffs and houses, ending in a rundown casino.

Conclusion

Visiting Le Treport is of order if you a) like fresh fish b) enjoy the scenery after a nice funicular ride. Despite the lack of attractnessive, summertime sees a lot of tourists, mostly French. The wide range of restaurants makes it easier to stay a day or two but the lack of hotels make it impossible.

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